


Reading Between Their Lines

by NCP18



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-16 16:06:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12346032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NCP18/pseuds/NCP18
Summary: With Rumple banished across the town line and Ruby not caught up in the second Curse, a lonely Belle decides to take her life into her own hands for once. Emma, shunned by her magic-fearing parents and an angry Mayor for her mistake in the past, finds herself similarly alone. Two lonely ships passing in the night find comfort in an understanding companion. Beautiful Swan slow burn.





	1. Chapter 1

It started, as these things so often do, with a drink.

It ended with two words.

But Emma would argue until her dying breath that it was the story in between the catalyst and the happy ending that was the most interesting.

The Librarian, being an expert on stories in general, generally agreed.

It was their story, after all.

* * *

The actual beginning of the events happened before the drink.

Rumple was gone, for good this time. Belle found the dagger that he’d hidden from her, lied about, loved more than her. Fury rose hot and wild in her, for once daring to stand up to the cowardly Dark One. She threw him out. Banished across the town line, where he could be no danger to anyone she cared about, least of all to herself.

The very next day she’d marched into the Mayor’s office, ignoring the squeak of protest from her secretary. Throwing open the doors with a resounding boom, she watched in satisfaction as Regina’s eyes bulged at the intrusion before she murmured to the person on her phone that she’d call them back. “What can I do for you, Mrs. Gold?” She asked, needling just a bit in retaliation for the interruption.

“You can help with the Mrs. Gold part,” Belle shot back, “Rumple’s gone. I banished him with his own dagger. He’s across the town line with no magic and can’t get back in.”

“I seem to have noticed this morning being brighter, citizens being more cheerful, even Snow’s irritating birds were less bothersome than usual,” Regina grinned, sitting back in her chair, “And you don’t seem the least bit down about this turn of events.”

“I’m not,” retorted Belle, “he’s lied to me and treated me like garbage for the last time. I’m here to call in a favor.”

“Really?” asked Regina, looking interested. “And what favor is it that you think I owe you?”

“Try 28 years locked in a dark, dank cell of a mental institution, being used as a pawn in your power struggle with my soon to. Ring any bells?” Belle asked, fists on her hips.

Tilting her chin upward, Regina conceded the point. “One of the things I regret most about this curse,” she admitted, folding her hands and leaning forward onto her desk. “So what is this favor?”

“Divorce me,” ordered Belle.

That brought a chuckle out of the Mayor. “My dear, I wasn’t aware we were married.”

“You know what I mean!” Belle exploded, pacing around the room in her frustration. “I’m done with Rumple and his lies. He loves power more than me, always has. Well now he has neither. Our marriage was never legal under the laws of this realm, but as Queen and Mayor, you can force the paperwork through to dissolve the union validly for both realms. This is my favor: sever my ties to the Dark One and we’re even.”

Regina studied her intently for the briefest of moments before seeing the sense in the request. “Agreed. I’ll have the papers to the library tomorrow morning.” She made a note on the pad she kept near her phone for just such occasions.”

“Thank you, Regina,” Belle breathed, her bravado evaporating with relief.

Demurring, the Mayor waved her off. “Glad to help. Anything that even has a chance to rankle that old man is something I’m happy to do. What are you going to do when you’re a free woman?”

Belle turned thoughtful, truly not having considered her courses of action. “I really hadn’t thought much beyond the divorce, honestly. I need to mourn the relationship at least a little. He was my first love, and for a while I even felt he was my True Love. We were together for years even before the Dark Curse, and then a couple years afterward. I need to process that before I make any big changes. After that, I think I want to live for myself for once. I spent my childhood being told what to do by my father, who tried to marry me off against my will, then sold me for peace. Then I spent my adulthood being imprisoned by the Dark One before falling in love with him. Stockholm Syndrome they call it in this world. I think I need some time to just figure out who Belle French is. Start with a clean slate.”

Regina nodded, impressed at the librarian’s analysis of her situation. “I agree, for what it’s worth. I’ve always felt you were much stronger than either your father or the Dark One.”

Turning to leave, Belle gave Regina one more look. “Regina, I’ve always hated the years I spent in the cell here, and I don’t know if I’ll ever really get over that, but I wanted to thank you.”

Jaw dropping, the older woman looked at Belle like she’d grown a second head. “THANK me? What in God’s name for?”

“Without the Dark Curse, I’d have been stuck in that castle, bonded to the Dark One forever as another of his toys that he played with when it suited him. Sending us to this realm was my own salvation, even though it took years. It brought me out from under both Rumple and my father’s control, in this world where women have far more rights than they did back in the Enchanted Forest. I can be who I want here, do what I want, and think what I want. Having indoor plumbing, central heating, and the Internet is pretty nice too,” the Librarian grinned. “So thank you. I hope someday I can work through my feelings about the first thirty years here and we can become friends.”

“I’d like that too,” Regina admitted with a quiet smile.

Nodding, Belle left the office without another word, closing the door behind her with much less force than she had upon her entrance.

* * *

Emma’s story was slightly different.

Not long after their return from Neverland Emma had shown up at his ship with a pizza in one hand and a six-pack in the other, intending on introducing him to some of the delights of this particular realm. “Hook? Hook?” she called, wondering what was going on when she didn’t hear a reply. She made it as far as the door outside his chambers when the sound of grunts, moans, and squeaking springs gave her all the answers she needed. It was the same old story. “Sorry, Emma, but you’re just not enough.”

Just a few months later, her parents were accusing her of being a monster and knocking a light post onto her father on purpose when Ingrid riled up her insecurities, thus proving them true.

Her loved ones feared her.

From there things had gone from bad to worse. Regina stopped speaking to her after she’d accidentally brought Marian back from the past and unwittingly reunited Regina’s fairy-dust foretold (thanks, Tink! Emma growled to herself) True Love with his formerly deceased wife. The thing made her head hurt when she tried to puzzle it out.

What made it all worst was when she tried to apologize. She really did. Time after time she tried to corner Regina and say she was sorry for hurting her. She didn’t know what would happen, but she was the damned _Savior_ , it was in her job description to save people that needed saving.

None of it mattered.

Regina went from what seemed to be a contest with herself to see how hard she could slam the door in Emma’s face to using magic to teleport her to interesting places all over Storybrooke. More than once Emma had found herself swimming back to shore, in a compromising position at Granny’s, or inside her own jail cells.

Still she kept coming. Somehow, some way she was going to make things right with Regina, even if she couldn’t make her True Love return her feelings.

None of it got her anywhere. With the Arendellean royals returned home and the Dark One banished, life in Storybrooke should have calmed down.

Should have.

Instead of falling into a humdrum small-town America existence with her long-lost family and where Emma made amends with Regina for what happened in her past, Emma had found herself more and more isolated.

Her parents were spending most of their time with her baby brother. She knew in her mind that babies needed lots of care and attention, but her heart hurt at every missed glance, every half-answer, and every unanswered phone call. She was more like a sister to her parents than her daughter.

That said nothing of her son, either. Having decided that his brunette mother needed far more support and love than his blonde mother did, Henry had moved back to the Mansion full-time. Having moved out of the loft into her own place when her brother’s sleepless nights showed no sign of abating, Emma was well and truly alone.

Which was a damned good enough reason for her feet to find their way to The Rabbit Hole one evening.

Pushing open the door, she gazed around the crowded interior before finding a familiar face seated alone at the bar. Needing some company, any kind of company, Emma made her way to the empty spot next to the woman who was pounding shot after shot, sensing a kindred spirit.

“This seat taken?” She asked Belle.

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s ass is there, Sheriff,” the brunette snarked back.

Eyebrows shooting almost into her hair, Emma slid onto the stool. “What’s got you drinking so hard today?”

Belle snorted. “How much time ya got?” she muttered in an uncharacteristic display of bluntness from the usually soft-spoken, gentle librarian.

“I got all the time in the world,” Emma shot back, sensing the mood of the evening.

“Well, let’s see: my best friend was outside the Enchanted Forest when your parents cast the second Curse that brought us back here, so she’s still somewhere in another realm. I just banished my ex-husband across the town line because I got tired of his years and years of lying to me. I have no close friends here in Storybrooke, and my own father still resents me for choosing to live with the Dark One in the first place, so I’m living in the apartments above the library all on my own,” Belle rambled, her speech increasing in speed until she was breathless at the end.

“Well, I’m not Ruby, but if you’re okay with it I could be some company tonight? I’ve been told I have a sympathetic ear,” offered Emma. Second choice again, she wasn’t Belle’s preferred companion that evening, but after being ignored by her entire family so soon after finding them, she was just happy to be something to someone, whether it was their first choice or not.

“You might as well, Sheriff. Talking to someone other than stacks of books would be nice for a change.”

“If it helps, my son chose to live with his adoptive mother because she was so depressed after I accidentally brought back her True Love’s first wife from the past. She’s refusing to speak to me, and my parents, when they aren’t accusing me of dropping major structures on top of them and protecting babies from my very presence, are focusing all their attention on their perfect second child, the one they named after Henry’s dead father and the one they didn’t shove through a portal to save themselves, ignoring me at every turn,” Emma rushed, matching Belle word for word, feeling the lessening of her pain the more she spoke.

Regarding the blonde with a surprisingly thoughtful expression given the amount of liquor she’d slugged back in just the time Emma had been there, Belle signaled for two more shots without breaking their gaze. “Sounds like I just found myself a drinking buddy.”

“I’ll toast to that,” Emma answered, picking up the glass of amber liquid, gesturing to her new companion, and slugging back the… “Yech. What the hell is this stuff?”

“Spiced rum,” explained Belle, trailing off as she realized that Emma might not find the drink to her tastes for any number of reasons.

Shaking her head, Emma gestured for the bartender. “Two shots of my favorite, please.”

Belle watched as a different amber liquid seemed to materialize in front of them. “What is this?”

Emma grinned. “When you live in Boston for as long as I did, you learn to appreciate good whiskey. This is my favorite Irish whiskey in this world.”

Belle stared at the small glass suspiciously before shrugging and picking it up. Emma met her gaze, fighting down the shiver that went up and down her spine at the intensity of the other woman’s blue eyes and raised her own glass. “Sláinte!”

“What does that mean?”

“It means ‘to your good health,’ or something like that, shrugged Emma. “Now let’s drink!”

Clinking glasses, they each threw back their drink. Belle coughed as the drink made its way down her throat. “Oh that burns!”

“Just give it a second,” Emma grinned, waiting. She could see as the initial heat faded based on Belle’s face relaxing.

Swallowing a few times, the brunette finally got the full taste notes of the drink. “That’s much better than I thought it would be!”

One drink turned into two, and two into three. Before long they were giggling and telling each other stories of humiliations past, letting the whiskey and confessions burn away their loneliness in the company of a kindred spirit. The crowd ebbed and flowed around them until it was deep into the night and they were among the only patrons left.

“I’m sorry that Rumple…didn’t love you more than his power,” Emma slurred in a quiet moment between memories, “You d-deserve all that and more. He was an idi – itidi – moron for not seeing it.” She emphasized her point by tucking a strand of auburn silk behind Belle’s ears and caressing her cheek. The librarian’s skin felt like silk over the world’s softest pillow, and Emma had to shake off the errant thought that there were plenty of other places on the other woman that she wanted to check to see if they felt just as wonderful to the touch.

“Thanks, Emma. It means a lot to hear someone say that,” Belle admitted quietly.

“You’re more than just Rumpelsi…Rumpele…The Dark One’s girl or your father’s daughter,” Emma insisted through her whiskey-fueled haze, needing Belle to understand how sincere she was, “You’re a wonderful, intelligent, strong woman who has done more for this town than most of its other residents. I haven’t spent as much time getting to know you as I wish I could have now.”

For her part, Belle hoped both that the shiver she felt at Emma’s contact and the flush that she knew was taking over her face could be attributed to the drink more so than her proximity to the blonde. She’d always been impressed with Emma when they were attempting to head off the Crisis of the Week in Storybrooke. The younger woman had a strength about her that was more than just her almost-otherworldly physique (not that she had spent too much time checking her out, it was more an appreciation of another person’s…person, she told herself, hoping she believed it) or the presence of her innate magic. It was something about her personality, tempered like steel in the fires of a brutal childhood, growing up without warmth, care, or love. Emma knew what she wanted and went after it. It was a characteristic that a meek librarian who made the mistake of falling for her captor the Dark One could admire.

“Well if it heps – helps YOU any,” Belle responded with her own stutter, waving her hand in a gesture that probably meant some form of emphasis, “I think Hook was a moron himself. Tink has nothing on you. Nothing on your looks – serioushly you have to tell me how you manage to get those jeans on every morning without buckets of baby oil,” the image of Emma’s legs covered in baby oil as she pulled the jeans on almost short-circuited her brain – she was NOT imagining the panties that adorned the top of her legs – and she had to shake her head to get back on track, “not to mention how quickly you’ve adapted to living in this crazy town. What your parents did was unconscho…unconsho…bad, but they didn’t know what they were doing. I’d be just as upset as you are, trust me.”

During her own attempt at offering comfort, Belle’s hand found its way to Emma’s. She squeezed the other woman’s strong fingers, trying to convey with the gesture what she was unable to express verbally at that moment.

Unsatisfied with the touch, Emma put her newest round down and reached out, embracing the other woman. When she pulled back, Emma saw the same intensity in the other woman’s eyes that had been sending tremors down her spine and raising goosebumps on her arms the entire evening.

Unwilling to act on the feelings coursing through her for fear that they were fueled by whiskey instead of true emotion – not to mention the fact that she didn’t know whether or not Belle was feeling the same things, Emma backed down. “Wow, I didn’t realize how late it was getting. Thank you for being a sympathetic ear,” she said, hating how weak her voice sounded and sure that Belle would see her retreat for what it was.

“Two in the morning? You’re right, it’s incredibly late. We should do it again sometime, though,” the librarian answered.

“Really?” answered the blonde, hoping the eagerness she felt didn’t make her seem like she was coming on too strong. It had been so long since she had someone she could count as a friend.

“Really. What shift do you work tomorrow?” asked Belle, throwing a few bills from her purse onto the bar.

One of these days Emma was going to have to figure out exactly how US currency made its way into Storybrooke. “I have the late shift. David wanted to be home more nights to help with N- my brother.”

Sensing the pain behind Emma’s barely-avoided use of her sibling’s name, Belle gave her a reassuring smile. “I understand. What would you say to meeting at Granny’s for lunch the day after?”

“I can do that, Emma responded with a shy smile.

“Great! See you at noon, then?”

“It’s a date!” answered Emma, sliding back into her jacket. “Are you okay to walk home?”

Belle’s giggle sounded throughout the much-quieter bar. “What if I’m not? Is the Sheriff’s department going to arrest me?”

“I may just have to walk you home to the library,” Emma said in false seriousness. “Just to be sure that you get home safely. You never know what’s going to be going on in Storybrooke.”

“That is true,” Belle pretended to consider the idea. “Okay, fine. I’ll let you escort me home.”

With a shared smile, Emma offered her elbow to the brunette, who happily took it. They walked out of The Rabbit Hole much happier than when they came in, secure in the knowledge that they’d found a kindred spirit. The excitement of a new friendship was enough to banish the demons for that evening.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for disclaimer.

"Ugh."

The sentiment of pained disgust echoed twice more around Regina's spacious bedroom.

Emma almost shook her head, but decided better of it at the last moment. "What the hell happened last night?" her brain wanted to say, but given the combination of an excessive amount of alcohol and a less-than-excessive amount of water to ward off the dehydration, it came out more as "whada hell happ' lashnight?"

Fortunately for her, Ruby was fluent in hangover-ese. "We tried to drink our weight in tequila and whiskey," she groaned from her position curled up in Regina's chair.

"Why, why, why did I let you two lead me down into the depths of debauchery?" Regina grumbled, ensconced in her preposterously comfortable bed.

"We're all still clothed, your Majesty. Not exactly any kind of debauchery I'm familiar with," Emma said with a wry chuckle from a position that neither of the other women could place.

"Where are you?" asked the mayor, stretching and rubbing her eyes.

"Ouch! Shit," cursed Emma, rolling from her side to her belly and pushing herself to her knees with great difficulty, "I'm on the floor. Guess I decided to sleep here."

"I thought I was supposed to be the guard dog," Ruby joked, easing into a sitting position and putting her head in her hands.

"Ha ha," retorted the blonde, "You know we don't think of you that way."

"I know. Just easier to joke about it," answered the waitress with a shrug.

Emma got to her feet, reaching out to the bed for leverage. "Guys, I hate to intrude on truly epic hangovers, but if we get dressed and make our way downstairs, we might be able to get some really greasy post drinking food."

"Ugh," groaned Regina, "I don't know how you can even think about food right now. Who am I kidding? It's you. Of course you can eat with a hangover that would kill a horse."

"Well none of us are dead yet, your royal highness," snarked the blonde, "So I think we're okay. We don't even have to get dressed or do the walk of shame."

That made Ruby look down. Sure enough she was still dressed from the night before. "Here's a crazy thought. Henry and David are going on that Boy Scout camping trip, right?"

Regina squinted, trying to remember when she'd mentioned the plans. "Yes, they should be leaving in," she paused, checking her clock, "an hour or so. Why do you ask?"

"How about we take a lazy day, then? Get into some sweats, get rid of these hangovers, and just stay in and watch movies all day?"

"Oh, God that sounds like heaven," Emma moaned.

Pursing her lips, Regina took in the sight of her exhausted friends in their wrinkled club dresses. She was in one herself. It went against her inclinations to waste an entire day doing nothing at all, but the idea of spending it in the company of these women was tantalizing enough that her instincts barely put up a token resistance. "I think after last night, a day of rest and entertainment sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered."

"Awesome. I just didn't bring anything to change into," Ruby commented, her excitement at having the others agree to her idea tempered by the realization that she had nothing to wear and would have to go back to the bed and breakfast to get her things.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Please. Emma, would you care to do the honors?" she gave a regal movement of her hand, gesturing between the three of them.

With a grin, the blonde got to her feet, her coordination improving with time. She stood in the middle of the room, directly between Regina and Ruby, and closed her eyes. With her hands extended, she slowly began to move them in a circle. Gleaming white smoke swirled around the room, gradually thickening to the point where no one could see anyone else. When it cleared, they were all changed out of their club dresses and into much more comfortable clothing, perfect for a lounging around kind of day.

Ruby looked down. Emma had chosen well, dressing her in skin-tight yoga pants that left absolutely nothing to the imagination and…she wiggled her hips…no panties. _Oh Emma, you naughty girl,_ she thought with an internal grin. Her shirt was a skin-tight camisole under a loose sweater. From the look on Regina's face, she could tell the older woman had made the same realizations, but like her chose not to comment.

"What should we watch first?"

* * *

During their day spent recovering from hangovers, their main activities consisted of relaxing on preposterously comfortable sofas in Regina's living room. They'd made their way through a movie marathon, including _The Breakfast Club_ , _The Princess Bride_ , _Back to the Future_ (which had Emma snorting about her own trip to the past), and of course _Star Wars_.

Regina yawned and stretched, somehow making the less-than-graceful movement look positively regal. Emma found it more difficult than she expected to look away. "So, um," she coughed, "I know you're really into health food and all, Regina, but I was wondering if you would be okay with splurging a bit and having pizza to go along with the rest of our movies?"

Opening her mouth to object, Regina saw the hope in the other women's eyes and couldn't muster the energy she needed to launch into a speech on healthy food and nutrition. "Make mine vegetarian, at least."

Emma rewarded her with a blinding smile as she reached for her cell phone.

* * *

"Mmmm," Regina moaned around a bite of bread, sauce, peppers, mushrooms, and olives all bonded together with the perfect amount of mozzarella, "I need to eat this more often."

"Did you hear what I heard, Ruby?" Emma teased with her eyes twinkling, "Did the Mistress of Healthy Food just say she wanted to eat more greasy, cholesterol-filled pizza?"

"I think she did! It truly is a miracle," the waitress responded.

With a roll of her eyes so severe it felt like she would have a headache later, Regina scoffed at the other two. "Oh, please. It's not as if I'm a complete stranger to junk food. I know you've both tried my pie before."

Ruby couldn't help the snort that escaped at the innuendo. Nor could Emma a half-second later. Snorts gave way to giggles which turned into coughs around mouthfuls of triple-meat and plain cheese pizza.

"What are the two of you…oh my God," muttered Regina, unable to stop the flush spreading down from cheeks to neck. "Children. Both of you are children."

After catching her breath, Ruby took a deep pull of the light beer that Regina had begun keeping for the younger two women. She took a look around the room and asked a question that had been nagging at her all evening. "Say, Emma, I have to ask: why cheese?"

"Because some dairy farmer once left milk out too long and got a little hungry?" the blonde sassed, still feeling the excitement of the moment.

"Ha ha. Why do you like cheese pizza? I mean any other topping or combination of toppings out there and you stick with plan Jane cheese? Not even a Hawaiian? What's up with that?" Ruby clarified, pushing a bit more than usual to try to get an answer.

Neither brunette expected Emma's reaction as the blonde tucked her knees together, kept her elbows close, and bent her head down over her plate, effectively folding in on herself.

Concerned, the two brunettes moved closer, sitting on either side of her but not touching, not trying to make her any more uncomfortable. "Emma? What's wrong? What happened?" Regina kept her voice gentle and calm, trying to avoid spooking the younger woman.

"Nothing. It's stupid. Don't worry about it. Let's just enjoy the movie and pizza," the blonde demurred.

"Ems," Ruby protested, scooting closer, "If it upsets you that much it's not nothing. What's the matter?"

Taking a deep breath, Emma finally looked up at the other two women, remembering all the trials and tribulations that had brought them closer and decided for once in her adult life to take the risk and let someone behind her walls. "It's just…when I was in the foster homes, pizza was cheap, but they would only pay for cheese, so that's all I ever had growing up and it just kind of stuck with me." She finished in a weak voice, looking back down at her plate and hating how small she sounded, unable to think even to herself what her friends would think of her.

Emma almost jumped at the feeling of a hand sliding around her back from either side. "We didn't know," Ruby explained, regret coloring the tone of her voice, "And we're sorry. Right, Regina?" she pushed, nudging the older woman to the far side.

"Yes, I apologize as well. I didn't mean to make you feel inadequate. You are far more than your past would indicate," Regina answered. Seeing the blonde turn to her with suspiciously gleaming eyes, she felt the need to continue speaking. "I can't regret the Dark Curse. It gave me Henry, who I love with every atom of my being. In a roundabout way it gave me friends, in the two of you. However, I can regret the Curse's unintended effects. The life you led as a child was a horrible consequence of the Curse, whether or not I forced your parents to send you through that wardrobe I have always felt partially responsible, and I do regret that."

Emma looked at the older woman, unable to control the tears streaming down her face. "Thank you, Regina. I needed to hear that," she breathed.

Just as she was about to wrap her arms around Regina, the brunette surprised her by initiating the embrace first. The warmth of the hug chased Emma's insecurities away like snowflakes. Burying her face in Regina's neck, Emma inhaled deeply, smelling the unique scent that always seemed to follow Regina around: a unique mix of cinnamon and apples that had stopped smelling like anything other than _home_ a while ago.

A sniff from the other woman in the room brought them out of the moment without really breaking it. "I guess that's why meat lovers pizza is my all-time favorite," Ruby grinned, "Being just a part wolf and all."

Sliding out of the hug, Regina scooted across her sofa and took the waitress's hands in her own. "You are so much more than just a wolf or just a waitress. Your dual nature makes you one of the strongest, most interesting people in all of Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest. Never doubt that you are an amazing woman, Ruby Lucas."

"I don't think I could say it nearly as well, Ruby, so yeah, ditto what Regina said," Emma echoed in a quiet voice.

Ruby wiped at a suspicious glimmer in her eyes. "You guys are something else. No one has ever told me anything like that before."

"Well as long as we're friends, no one will ever make you feel like you're anything less than the wonderful person you are," Regina promised, squeezing Ruby's forearms before moving back to her own space and taking up her pizza again.

With a confirming nod from Emma, Ruby felt the weight in her heart lighten, knowing that whatever else the world thought of her, the other women with her would always be there for her.

* * *

The next night Regina and Emma were holed up at Town Hall. Having spent so much after-hours time with hobbies instead of work, the Mayor showed up and demanded her Sheriff catch up on paperwork. She softened the blow with a magically-conjured meal of Emma's favorite Chinese food, but it was still a night stuck inside doing paperwork, and Emma was grumpy.

"Why the hell do we even have to do paperwork here in Storybrooke? Doesn't the whole town like, not exist?" Emma wondered after a record-breaking five minutes of silent work.

Regina groaned, burying her head in her hands at the blonde's short attention span, but Emma continued without a pause.

"I mean, it's not like anything would or wouldn't get done if we didn't do this paperwork, right?"

"Emma! For the last time please just do the damn paperwork!" she snapped, "If your attention span were any shorter I'd swear there was goldfish somewhere in your ancestry!"

The blonde looked down, shame coloring her face. "Sorry. I've just never had that much interest in filling out forms. After a while the boxes and lines start to swirl in front of my eyes."

Hearing how small Emma's voice got at the admission, which for once did not have to be dragged out of her, Regina gave her another appraisal. The same embarrassment she saw amplified in her as realization swept over her. "Emma," she started again, "I need these papers for the town. You saw how much trouble Snow had when she was Mayor. If these papers are filled and filed correctly, then the town can keep running in the event of…in case something happens to me," she finished.

Emma's head snapped up, looking at her with piercing green eyes that showed first fear and then understanding. "I get it now. I promise I'll do the paperwork on time and completely from now on."

Giving her an appreciative grin, Regina squeezed her forearm in thanks.

Before they could say another word, each was struck with the sudden, overwhelming feeling that something was very, very wrong.

"Ruby?" Emma asked, wanting to confirm her gut.

"I feel it, too," agreed Regina, calling on her magic to sense the werewolf's location before taking both of them there in a cloud of purple.

* * *

Appearing in the midst of the Rabbit Hole left Emma disoriented, but she stayed on her feet. Shaking her head clear, she started scanning the dark room.

Behind her, Regina was doing the same. "There. Over by the bar."

Emma followed her pointed finger, seeing Ruby leaning against the bar, backed into place by one of the larger Merry Men. Not Little John, but a different, bigger guy. Looking at least six feet, two inches or more tall and weighing more than three hundred pounds, he made Ruby look like a stick figure.

The werewolf's stance was awkward, missing all her usual grace and composure. When she tried to move away from the bar, her hand slipped and she was too sluggish to catch herself. As Regina's alarmed gasp echoed in her ears, Emma saw the guy slide his hand into his pocket. It was dark, but she was able to see the flash of light shining off something metal or glass in his hand.

"He fucking drugged her!" she hissed, grabbing Regina's arm. "The bastard just put something in his pocket."

Regina's eyes glinted purple in rage before softening at Ruby's glassy eyes. "Can you take him down? I want to get Ruby away from him."

"I can handle a forest fart no sweat," Emma growled before marching up behind the man. "Sheriff Swan. Take your hand out of your pocket, nice and slow for me. Put whatever it was you just tried to hide on the bar there." At her barked order, the crowd watching the scene melted away, leaving them ample room.

The muscular cords in his neck tweaked, but he complied, putting a nearly empty vial on the bar.

"Now put both hands on the bar and leave them there. I mean it. If I see one funny move from you, you go head first through the wall," she ordered.

The man's curly hair slumped as his head fell, but he kept the stance as ordered. Looking over at Regina as the brunette tried to keep Ruby from moving too much, Emma handed over the vial. "Can you tell what's in this?"

Taking the small glass container, Regina closed her eyes, willing her magic to sense the contents, but after a moment she shook her head. "I can't; there's no magical signature. Whatever it is came from this world."

With a frown, Emma took the glass back. She unscrewed the lid while keeping an eye on the not-so-Merry Man. Lifting the vial to her nose she took a quick sniff, but couldn't detect any scent. A tiny touch of her tongue told the story. "Rohpynol. Fucking asshole," she snarled, giving their prisoner a savage kick.

"What?" asked Regina, rubbing Ruby's back as the younger woman tried to balance on a stool.

"Roofies. He fucking drugged her," Emma explained, trying to keep the rage out of her voice. "And I have a pretty good idea where he got the shit."

Realization dawned on Regina. The only person outside Storybrooke who a Merry Man could ask for something was Robin. "Oh, no."

"Yep," agreed Emma with a grim set to her jaw, "I need to make a call to an old contact in the NYPD."

"Ruby is going to need our help tonight and tomorrow," said Regina, looking down at the waitress, "Would you call your father to take this scum to the station and start the paperwork?"

Nodding, Emma was already fishing out her phone. "That's a good idea. Hey, Dad? I know it's late but can you get over to the Rabbit Hole? There's a situation…okay, thanks."

"He's on his way," she explained when she hung up.

Regina gave her a small smile in thanks. "I think I'm going to take Ruby back to my house. She needs to be lying down before the drugs kick in."

"Okay," Emma agreed, "I'll be along as soon as David gets here to take charge of this asshole."

She watched as Regina and Ruby disappeared in a cloud of sparkly smoke. Turning her attention to the Merry Man, Emma summoned her handcuffs with her magic. "I don't suppose you're familiar with the Miranda rights yet," she said, snapping one on the beefy wrist, "You have the right to remain silent…"

She never saw it coming. The Miranda speech was cut off when his uncuffed hand swung back and caught her squarely in the face, breaking her nose. Stumbling back in a daze, Emma shook her head in an attempt to clear it and immediately regretted the action as the pounding in her skull intensified. As the man advanced on her with hate in his eyes, she remembered the first lesson she'd received in the krav maga class her bounty hunting boss had insisted she take, which reinforced something she'd learned in foster care: whenever you're in a fight with someone that much bigger than you, never ever let them get their hands on you.

Dancing back, she assessed her situation. Blood was flowing down her face and she was having a hard time breathing through the injury, but David was on his way, and her parents' loft wasn't too far from the Rabbit Hole, so she only had to hold the guy off for a few minutes before her father would get there to back her up. Emma looked around to see what she had available. There was a possibility over to her left, but to get there she'd have to go around the behemoth advancing on her.

He was quicker on his feet than she'd expected. Before she was ready, he was upon her. Taking a chance and swinging hard at his face to buy herself some time, Emma heard a satisfying crunch, then, "Fucking shit!" she yelled after a heartbeat's pause. The wave of pain sweeping up her body from her right hand was almost overwhelming. After a failed attempt at flexing her fingers, she knew at least a few bones were broken.

The hulk in front of her shook his head and grinned, knowing he had her right where he wanted. Needing to buy time, she dropped down and, balancing on her good hand, swung her left foot to knock his legs out from under him. The Merry Man fell back and shattered a table , conveniently providing her with a weapon. Grabbing a table leg, she cocked back like it was a baseball bat and swung, knocking the man out just as the front door burst open and David ran in.

"What's the troub…Emma? Are you all right? What happened?" He made his way over to her and started checking her injuries.

The genuine concern in his eyes for her well-being made the orphan foster girl that would always be inside her tear up with joy. With a watery smile, she wrapped her arms around him. Surprised at the show of emotion he returned the embrace, cradling her head against his shoulder before she stepped back.

"This piece of shit roofied Ruby," she said, gesturing at the prone figure, "Regina and I felt her distress and teleported here just in time to see him put the container back in his pocket. She has Ruby back at her house, and I stayed to take care of him. He fought back, but I was able to subdue him. I was hoping you could take him to the station for me while I go get these treated?" her inflection trailed up at the end, turning the statement into a question.

"He drugged Ruby? This guy tried to use a date-rape drug on a werewolf?" David asked, incredulous. "Maybe putting him in a cell would be for his own good. I wouldn't want to be him the next time Ruby shifts."

Emma gave a mirthless chuckle. "You should see Regina. I'm going to have to work to get them both calmed down, first Regina and then Ruby when she wakes up. Still, he had to get the drug from outside Storybrooke, and since the only person I know outside town that would help a Merry Man is in New York, I'm going to have to call the NYPD to make them aware."

"Shit," David gave a rare curse. "I can't believe Robin would have done that, but you're right, there's nowhere else it could have come from. Okay. Let's get Andre the Giant here in cuffs and I'll take him in."

"I'll never not be surprised at how much knowledge of this world the Curses gave you guys," Emma shook her head at the thought and winced as waves of pain punished her for the action.

David put his hand on her shoulder. "I'll handle things here. You go to the hospital. Are you okay to drive? No wooziness?"

"Thanks, Dad," she said, feeling that warmth once more, "I can make it out there. I'll check in with you in the morning?"

"Of course, kiddo. Feel better," he declared, before squatting down and rolling the prisoner over and cuffing his other hand.

Emma strode out of the bar, not sparing a look at any of the citizens who watched her without stepping in to help.

* * *

Sitting in one of the examination rooms of Storybrooke's Emergency Department while Doctor Whale examined her X-rays, Emma marveled at how modern things were, compared to the first time she was there when Henry was unconscious from a turnover. Things had really changed, but the only thing she could point to that made any sense was the Curse her own parents cast to bring them back here. They had to have put something in to update all the facilities from the original Curse's 1980s technology.

A buzz in her pocket interrupted her musing, and Emma swore. Her right hand was broken but she always kept her phone in her right front pocket. Hopping off the table, she reached across her body and fished the device out in an incredibly awkward twist.

_Will you be joining us tonight, Miss Swan?_

She grinned at the snark Regina used to hide her concern before swiping her thumb across the screen to reply.

_As soon as Whale looks at my X-rays and gets me fitted for a cast I will be._

Regina's reply took less time to arrive than she did typing.

_Are you okay? Why do you need X-rays? What the hell happened?_

Touched that the first thing Regina asked was about her health, Emma blinked back a tear.

_I'm fine, or I will be. Bastard got the drop on me. Broken nose and a broken hand. I just need it set in a cast and a brace for my nose and I'll be fine. Look like a raccoon for a few days, but it's not exactly my first broken nose. I'll be okay._

This time the reply came in the form of a purple cloud and a very concerned Regina and not a text message. "Oh, my God!"

"It looks worse than it is, I promise," Emma hastened to assure her. "Like I said, it's not exactly my first rodeo."

"Believe me, there are so many follow-up questions I will be asking you eventually," Regina growled, looking her over, "But why did you come here? I could heal you with magic just as easily at home."

Emma mumbled her answer, looking at her toes.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you, dear," said Regina.

"I said I didn't want to bother you, okay? You had Ruby to take care of and I didn't want to be a bother. I didn't even want to come here but David made me because of the broken hand. Speaking of Ruby, where is she? Is she okay?"

Pursing her lips at the blonde's stubbornness, Regina shook her head. "It seems I may have underestimated your father. At least he had the sense to insist you seek medical care. Ruby is fine. The drugs are working their way out of her system as she sleeps them off in my bed. Here, let me heal your hand and your nose and we can get you out of this hellhole."

"No! Wait!" Emma protested, holding her hands up as Regina raised hers to summon her magic. "You can't!"

"Well I may be relatively new to light magic, but I assure you I can handle a simple healing of broken bones and cartilage," Regina huffed, put out at the insinuation that she was incapable.

"No, that's not what I meant. I know you're amazing and you could probably heal me without so much as blinking," Emma shook her head, again regretting the movement at the fresh wave of pain. "I need these injuries to heal normally so that they're evidence for what that asshole did to me. If you heal them, it'll be like they never happened and it will be his word against mine."

Understanding her point, Regina folded her arms across her chest, a movement that didn't go unnoticed. "I see your point, but I really don't like it."

"I promise after I get discharged you can take care of me all you want, but I have to let these heal normally for at least a few days until the paperwork gets processed. Remember? I'm being diligent about that stuff now," Emma reminded her with the tiniest smirk.

"Well, I don't suppose I can exactly fault your newfound dedication to paperwork," answered the brunette, "Still, I'm healing you at the first chance I have. No arguments."

Any retort Emma could have made was cut off by Whale's return. "Okay, Emma. Just as I thought. You've broken a few of the metacarpals in your right hand and your nose is broken too…oh, hi Regina. Fancy seeing you here."

"Don't mind me, Whale. I'm just here to take a patient off your hands as soon as she's ready to go."

Seeing the doctor's hesitance to discuss her health matters in front of Regina, Emma jumped in. "It's okay, Doctor. I give you permission to speak freely. Anything you can say to me you can say in front of her."

With a small roll of his eyes, Whale continued. "Yes, well, like I said you have a few broken metacarpals and a couple minor fractures in your proximal phalanges. We'll get you into a plaster cast that you'll have to wear for a few weeks while you heal. The nose will just need a small brace. One of our nurses will be in to get you taken care of for that, and I've got everything I need for the cast. Once we're all done, I'll get you set up with a script for pain medicine. Shall we get started?"

* * *

Appearing in Regina's upstairs hallway straight from the hospital was disorienting, especially as the pain medication was kicking in. "Woah, that was like riding a roller coaster-thingy," she slurred.

"Yes, well, I do my best," answered Regina not without a grin. "You probably won't be able to stand up for a shower much longer, and there's no way I'm letting you in my bed with the germs you picked up in the hospital, so give me one minute here," and she snapped her fingers.

Purple magic swept over her, cleaning her better than bathing and clothing her in comfortable pajamas. Emma found herself wearing the softest black leggings she'd ever worn and her favorite baggy t-shirt. "That was amazing. Teach me that someday!"

"Someday," Regina agreed, "Now let's get you to bed. Ruby's in the middle and I want you closer to the wall so I can keep my eyes on you while you're on your various medications. Hopefully neither of you snore, especially you, Miss Raccoon."

"Oh Regina. You're so funny," medicated Emma giggled.

With an fondly exasperated sigh, Regina took her hand and pulled her into the master bedroom.


End file.
